1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a system and method for generating a building information modeling (BIM) geometry breakdown structure and, more particularly, to technology for generating a geometry breakdown structure, which enables a breakdown structure for associating geometric information with non-geometric information to be set in the geometric information and associates the geometric information with the non-geometric information.
2. Description of the Related Art
Among various efforts to accomplish construction informatization, recently, the utilization of BIM has rapidly advanced and become more common, and the form of the utilization has gradually trended toward “high-level utilization” and “high efficiency.” In spite of this, it has been pointed out that the burden of the vast amount of additional work that is required to put BIM to practical use is the principal obstacle to the practical application of BIM.
In the early 1990s, integrated construction informatization was materialized via the concept of computer integrated construction (CIC). In general, CIC is implemented as an integrated system that is comprehensive and has high completeness in terms of its life cycle and work functionality, in large-scale construction organizations or projects.
Meanwhile, it is appreciated that BIM has been developed in the direction of expansion in such a way that it started with the utilization of three-dimensional (3D) geometric information in relatively small organizations, has expanded its integration range to encompass the integration of design/construction/maintenance, and has been provided with a wide variety of analysis functions (see Jung, Y. and Joo, M. (2011). “Building Information Modeling (BIM) Framework for Practical Implementation.”, Automation in Construction, 20(2), pp. 126˜133).
In both the above-described “comprehensive CIC and expandable BIM,” one of the important element technologies is a method of associating geometric information (e.g., 3D computer-aided design (CAD) data) with non-geometric information (e.g., schedule information). In such integration, physical integration can be handled by commercial software, but logical integration requires a project management viewpoint-based effort to make a method that is suitable for project characteristics.
In general, to associate geometric information with non-geometric information, a large amount of effort is required. The amount of association work is dependent upon “the diversity of construction business functions” and “the degree of details of an association target.” That is, five-dimensional (5D)-CAD that performs the association of schedule and cost information requires a larger amount of more complicated work than four-dimensional (4D)-CAD that associates 3D geometric information with only schedule information. Furthermore, the complexity of a structure is proportional to the degree of details of association target data (for example, schedule activity association with cost data for each member, not for each story).
Another consideration is that from the viewpoint of “the variety of construction business functions,” the task of logically associating non-geometric information, other than geometric information, itself is a very complicated task that requires much effort (e.g., a cost and schedule integration structure). The fact that a scheme for the efficiency of Earned Value Management Systems (EVMSs) is still being discussed actively confirms this (see Jung, Y. and Woo, S. (2004). “Flexible Work Breakdown Structure for Integrated Cost and Schedule Control”, Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, 130(5), pp. 616-625).
The above-described complicated logical association of geometric information with non-geometric information is performed basically based on a breakdown structure, such as a work breakdown structure (WBS). A lot of BIM-related research deals with schemes for the association of geometric information and non-geometric information, but the schemes are not main topics and are dealt with from a secondary viewpoint.
Representative examples of comprehensive WBS research in the BIM field include a case that proposes a scheme for associating geometric information with non-geometric information from the viewpoint of system development (see Chau, K. W. Anson, M. and Zhang, J. P. (2005). “4D Dynamic Construction Management and Visualization Software: 1. Development.” Automation in Construction, 14(4), pp. 512˜524), and a case that effectively associates 3D-CAD with the schedule, the cost, and the safety from a project management-oriented viewpoint and applies the association to railroad construction (see Ding, L. Y. Zhou, Y. Luo, H. B. and Wu, X. G. (2012). “Using nD Technology to Develop an Integrated Construction Management System for City Rail Transit Construction”, Automation in Construction, 21(1), pp. 64˜73).
However, both of these two examples of research are limited in that they fail to distinguish themselves from the previous pieces of research, because the application of the numbering system of the two examples employs a method of starting with non-geometric information (that is, with a WBS and a cost breakdown structure (CBS)) and then associating the non-geometric information with geometric information.
Meanwhile, Korean Patent Application Publication No. 10-2011-0099151 entitled “Industry Foundation Classes (IFC)-based Architecture Object Standardization Method” relates to an IFC-based architecture object standardization method, and discloses technology that fabricates standardized logical 3D shapes, that is, architecture objects, through the formation of IFC-based relationships using information (hierarchical space information, location information, and object characteristic information) necessary for architecture objects input at the same time that modeling starts and automatically configures those as physical shapes using various programs.
However, the technology disclosed in the above-described preceding patent application is problematic in that it does not take into consideration the interoperability between various characteristics, various processes, and users having various businesses in the field of the construction industry, and is disadvantageous in that it is difficult for a single integrated vendor solution to integrate information in various separate fields.
The reason for this is that each company uses unique and distinctive design, analysis and maintenance tools in its building process.
Additionally, there is another reality in that since each building is unique in terms of design concept, material and a project team's requirements, a project team is usually disbanded after a building has been constructed, and design elements, a combination method and the use of project participants are limited in a subsequent project.
Existing structure definition breakdown structures, such as a WBS and a CBS, that have been used in practice and research up to now assign numbers chiefly to “non-geometric data,” such as scope, schedule, and cost management. Although these non-geometric data breakdown structures have been popularly put into practical use and have been widely utilized, the direct application of the WBS or CBS to geometric data (e.g., 3D-CAD data) has many limitations because of the characteristics of non-geometric data.
In contrast, CIC or BIM research based on the integration of “geometric data” and “non-geometric data” (nD-CAD data) mostly employs a method of association with the WBS and CBS of non-geometric data using mechanical association functionality and an interface provided by existing software, and thus does not propose an active and systematic association method.